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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Palm Beach Equine Medical Centers Open Aiken Equine Embryo Transfer Center

After five years you finally have your mare ready for Grand Prix. She’s proven she’s athletic and sound, and while you’d love to have a foal from her, you don’t want to give up any precious training and showing time. So you choose to keep competing her, but regret missing out on a great foal. Now you don’t have to make that choice. Embryo transfer just got easier.

World-renowned veterinary clinic Palm Beach Equine Medical Centers, headquartered in Wellington, recently purchased the New Bridge Embryo Centre in Aiken.  While the center has been widely recognized for high quality embryo transfers in the polo industry, their goal is to expand the services to the sport horse markets at the facility, which is now called the Palm Beach Equine Embryo Center (PBEEC).  Palm Beach Equine Medical Centers have been leaders in the veterinary care of Olympic and World Championship horses, along with world-class polo ponies, racehorses and other equine athletes. They are the Official Veterinarian of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI and other international equestrian events.

“Although we have become well-known for our care of competition horses, we recognize the need for a world-class reproductive center,” explains Dr. Scott Swerdlin, President of Palm Beach Equine Medical Centers.  “The Palm Beach Equine Embryo Center will serve mare owners nationwide.” State of the art reproductive facilities, safe stabling, lush pastures and world-renowned veterinarians are on offer. In the works are a catalogue of top sport horse stallions and additional reproductive and veterinary services.

Dr. Swerdlin continues, “Polo breeders have recognized the importance of using their most competitive mares for producing future generations of athletes. At some of the top international polo tournaments it is not uncommon to see three generations of mares competing alongside one another. We want to make this more commonplace in the sport horse and performance horse industries. Some of the industry’s best mares don’t finish competing until they are nearly 20 years old, which means they have exceptional athletic ability and soundness—exactly the type of mares that should be reproducing. Embryo transfer is the perfect solution for the competitive mare and her owner.”

Mare owners can either ship their mare to the Aiken facility or have their mare inseminated while she is competing, regardless of whether she is located in Florida, California, Texas or New York. The Palm Beach Equine Embryo Center veterinarians will work with mare owners’ vets to ensure that the process is seamless and results in the next generation of athletes. Once the embryo is 7-8 days old, it is flushed and placed within one of the PBEEC’s high quality recipient mares. Dr. Swerdlin explains, “Our recipient mares are chosen for their fertility, temperament, maternal nature and overall health and soundness. We have one of the best bands of recipient mares in the country.” Once the recipient mare is confirmed pregnant at 35 days via ultrasound, the owner can have the mare shipped anywhere nationwide, or leave her on the hundreds of acres of pasture in Aiken.

In addition to embryo transfer, other reproductive and veterinary services are offered in Aiken.  PBEEC clients have access to the Palm Beach Equine Medical Centers’ staff that includes more than 20 world-class veterinarians that are recognized in the industry for their expertise.

They have pioneered many state of the art techniques and procedures for lameness, reproduction, kinesiology, internal medicine, alternative medicine and more. 

Please visit palmbeachembryo.com for complete information.